How An Unconference Changed My Life
The picture on the right, captures a moment that changed my life.
It was during the peer session sign up portion of Event Camp East Coast last year when Gary Brown asked me, “If I write it down, will you lead a session on improv?”
It was my first time attending an unconference and Event Camp East Coast was specifically targeted to professionals in the events industry. I didn’t know Gary. I had just met him during the roundtable orientation in which we all had to share what we were hoping to get from the conference and what our fields of expertise were.
I’d shared several things, among them that I was interested in using what I’d learned as an improvisor for team building and leadership training.
In the moment pictured, I was confronted with a long and dearly held dream: the opportunity to share my love of improv as a skill-building tool with others. I was nervous and excited and compelled to say yes, even though it was a very scary proposition. I mean, could I do a good job with no preparation? What if they didn’t get it? Attendees at Event Camp East Coast last year were some of the most well respected, well known people in the events business!
Well, as you’ve probably guessed, the story ended happily. My session was very well received and well attended. And it proved to me that I could really do what I had dreamed of doing for so long.
I subsequently started this blog on the subject, and have led interactive improv-inspired sessions at several events including the innovative Game On! Sustainable Meetings Conference last year organized by the Green Meetings Industry Council.
For those of you who are on the fence about attending an unconference like Event Camp East Coast where you don’t know what the sessions or who the presenters will be ahead of time, please consider my story.
The Conferences That Work format, developed by Adrian Segar and used at Event Camp East Coast, was designed to draw out people with knowledge that the attendees there will find most useful – even when those people aren’t good at tooting their own horns. There are also many more fun opportunities to network with your fellow attendees than are normally provided at conferences.
This year Event Camp East Coast will be 2 days long and will be held at the National Conference Center so the cost of lodging and food and registration is an unheard of $425 for both days.
But this year, as much as I wanted to go, I was not planning to. After flying to London to co-organize Event Camp Europe last month, I’m tapped out!
My friends Adrian Segar, Traci Browne, Andrea Sullivan and Greg Ruby, who are working to organize the event this year in Washington DC, suggested that I start a chip-in and ask for help from my event friends to make it possible. So here goes.
I dearly hope that I can return this year and share even more improv-inspired activities that my event industry friends can use both personally and professionally.
Thanks for helping with whatever you can. And I hope to see you at ECDC!!
More From jenisefryatt
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